Kyle Busch – Kyle Busch is always tough to beat at Richmond, and on Saturday night he’ll be one of the favorites to win. This year at shorter flat tracks he’s been in contention to win all three races. He had a great car at New Hampshire, should’ve won at Phoenix, and was very strong […]

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Kyle Busch – Kyle Busch is always tough to beat at Richmond, and on Saturday night he’ll be one of the favorites to win. This year at shorter flat tracks he’s been in contention to win all three races. He had a great car at New Hampshire, should’ve won at Phoenix, and was very strong at Richmond until he had problems late. In his career at Richmond Busch has four wins, has finished in the top five 63% percent of the time and in the top ten 71% percent of the time. This spring Kyle Busch had a great car but walked away with a misleading 16th place finish. Performance wise he was likely 2nd place good but late in the race while he was running in 2nd he got a commitment cone violation. Last fall at Richmond he had a strong car and finished 9th. Additionally in the race he earned the 5th best driver rating and had a 6th place average running position. It should be noted he was better than his result. He used pit strategy late that wasn’t to his benefit. Until the final caution came out he was running in 3rd. In spring 2016 he had a great car and if Carl Edwards didn’t nudge him out of the way he would’ve won. In addition to his second place result he earned the 2nd best driver rating, had a 3rd place average running position and led 78 laps. In fall 2015 Busch also finished runner-up. (Yahoo A Driver)

Kevin Harvick – Kevin Harvick is an elite performer at Richmond who’s a lock for a good result. He’s a three-time winner who’s finished in top five in 5 of the last 6 Richmond races. Currently he has three straight 5th place finishes. This spring Harvick was a consistent front runner. In the race he earned the 2nd best driver rating, had a 4th place average running position and finished 5th. Last year at Richmond he had a great season. He scored the second most points and was the only driver who swept the top five. Last fall Harvick had a strong showing and when the checkered flag waved he finished 5th. That’s impressive when you take into account he got a speeding penalty. Last spring he started on the pole, finished 5th, earned the 3rd best driver rating, had a 3rd place average running position and led 63 laps. From a strength perspective I thought he likely had the 4th best car. In fall 2015 his team was in R&D mode and in that race he finished 14th. In the two races prior to that he had results of 2nd and 5th. This year at shorter flat tracks Harvick has a 5.3 average finish and is one of three drivers who have finished in the top ten every race. (Yahoo A Driver)

Martin Truex Jr. – Martin Truex Jr. should be on your short list of favorites at Richmond. At this venue he’s finished in the top ten in 4 of the last 5 races and came close to victory lane last fall. Over the last three RIR races Truex has a 7.3 average finish, an 8.0 average running position and the 4th best driver rating. This spring Truex Jr. ran well but he wasn’t a factor to win. In the race he earned the 6th best driver rating, had a 7th place average running position and finished 10th. Last year at Richmond he had a great season, he was tied for scoring the 3rd most points and was one of 7 drivers who finished in the top ten both races. Last fall at Richmond he arguably had the best car. When the checkered flag waved he earned the 2nd best driver rating, finished 3rd, had a 3rd place average running position and led a race high 193 laps. One of the main drawbacks for him is that he got a speeding penalty around lap 265 that dropped him back to the high-twenties. In spring 2016 he had a strong car and finished 9th. I’ll note he was better than his result but pit road mistakes held him back. Realistically he might’ve had top five potential if the race went smoothly for him. New Hampshire is the last shorter flat track visited and at that venue he led 137 laps and finished 3rd. (Yahoo A Driver)

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